The 30-share index pared some opening losses to trade 248.25 points or 0.67 per cent lower at 37,063.28 at 0930 hours; and the broader Nifty too fell 67.45 points or 0.61 per cent to 10,961.95 in morning trade.

In the previous session on Wednesday, the 30-share index settled 353.37 points or 0.96 per cent higher at 37,311.53. The broader NSE Nifty reclaimed the 11,000-mark, jumping 103.55 points or 0.95 per cent to close at 11,029.40.

The stock market was closed on Thursday on account of Independence Day.

Top losers in the Sensex pack in early trade included Vedanta, HCL Tech, TCS, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, TechM, SBI and Infosys, shedding up to 2.63 per cent.

According to experts, rising concerns of an economic slowdown, weak earnings and global trade volatility has been weighing on investor sentiment.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi comprehensively reviewed the state of the economy with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as his government scrambled for solutions to tackle a fast-spreading slowdown in various sectors, which is eroding wealth and causing job losses.

India's economic growth has slowed to 6.8 per cent in 2018-19 - the slowest pace since 2014-15, consumer confidence is waning and foreign direct investment has plateaued. International trade and currency war is further aggravating the problem.